Los Angeles Marks Día de los Muertos on November 1 With Three Free Events: West Adams Block Party, UCLA Fowler Festival and MacArthur Park's First Celebration
Los Angeles, a city in Los Angeles County, California, hosts several free Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations on Sunday, November 1: the fourth annual West Adams block party opens at noon, the Fowler Museum at UCLA holds its festival in the afternoon, and MacArthur Park welcomes its first-ever Día de los Muertos event in the evening. All three are free and open to the public, with community altars, live music and hands-on activities.
The West Adams event runs from noon to 8 p.m. on West Adams Boulevard, between Fairfax Avenue and Hauser Boulevard (5640 W. Adams Blvd.), now in its fourth year. Organizers say it features live performances, free carnival games and workshops, more than 80 vendors and food trucks, and a large community altar where residents can bring photos of loved ones. The event is presented with the support of Councilwoman Heather Hutt's office (District 10), is free to attend, and is family- and pet-friendly.
The Fowler Museum at UCLA holds its Fowler Festival: Día de los Muertos from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 308 Charles E Young Drive North. Led by artist Maria Elena Cruz, the program includes making mini ofrendas and colorful sugar-skull piñatas, light refreshments, and a closing live performance by Mariachi Alta California.
At MacArthur Park, Music, Arts & Community Los Angeles (MAC LA) hosts its first-ever Día de los Muertos event at the park bandshell from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., under the theme "Ancestral Protection." A procession sets out at 3:30 p.m. from Alvarado Street and Sixth Street, followed by an opening prayer and ceremony with Indigenous leaders, dance performances, a fashion show, music, a community altar and resource booths from community organizations. MAC LA executive director Allegra Padilla said the event is free and open to all ages.
Día de los Muertos, rooted in Mexican tradition, is observed on November 1 and 2, when families honor the dead with altars, marigolds, candles and the foods their loved ones enjoyed in life. Celebrations across Los Angeles began in late October, with events at Olvera Street and elsewhere continuing through November 2.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：亡灵节祭坛（资料图，2019年摄于墨西哥城 Fonoteca Nacional）。YessMendez 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons，本站已缩至1600像素宽。 / A Día de los Muertos altar (file photo, Fonoteca Nacional, Mexico City, 2019). Photo by YessMendez, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; resized to 1600px wide.
